CBS And Viacom Announce Merger, Reunifying Star Trek Franchise

Years in the making, CBS and Viacom today announced that they’ve successfully negotiated a deal to combine via an all-stock merger, creating a company with more than $28 billion in revenue. The deal brings the two media companies back together after their split in January 2006. The merger also reunites the two sides to the Star Trek franchise: CBS who own the brand and television rights and library, and Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, who have held the Trek movie rights and film library.

Say hello to ViacomCBS where “content is king”

The new entity, called ViacomCBS, Inc., is being touted in the announcement as a “leading global, multiplatform, premium content company, with the assets, capabilities and scale to be one of the most important content producers and providers in the world.” ViacomCBS will include the largest television business in the U.S., with the highest share of broadcast and cable viewing “across all key audience demographics.” According to ViacomCBS the merger will “accelerate CBS and Viacom’s ability to deliver an array of compelling content to important and diverse audiences across both traditional and emerging platforms around the world.”

Official factsheet from ViacomCBS

The newly merged ViacomCBS will have Viacom CEO Robert Bakish at the top as President and CEO. Former acting CBS Corp. CEO Joseph Ianniello will become Chairman and CEO of CBS, where he will oversee all CBS-branded assets in the new company.

The merger was initiated originally by Shari Redstone, Vice Chair of the Boards of Directors, CBS and Viacom. In a statement, Redstone says: “I am really excited to see these two great companies come together so that they can realize the incredible power of their combined assets. My father once said ‘content is king,’ and never has that been more true than today. Through CBS and Viacom’s shared passion for premium content and innovation, we will establish a world-class, multiplatform media organization that is well-positioned for growth in a rapidly transforming industry. Led by a talented leadership team that is excited by the future, ViacomCBS’s success will be underpinned by a commitment to strong values and a culture that empowers our exceptional people at all levels of the organization.”

Star Trek cited as part of the strategic rationale

As we previously reported, getting Star Trek back under one roof has been cited as an important factor of the merger. Star Trek was even mentioned in the official press release from ViacomCBS as one of the strategic rationales:

Premium content at scale. The combined company will possess a portfolio of powerful consumer brands, including CBS, Showtime, Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Comedy Central and Paramount Network, as well as one of the largest libraries of iconic intellectual property, spanning every key genre and addressing consumers of all ages and demographics. This library comprises 140,000+ TV episodes and 3,600+ film titles, and reunites fan-favorite franchises such as Star Trek and Mission: Impossible. The combined company will also have more than 750 series currently ordered to or in production. In addition, it will include a major Hollywood film studio, Paramount Pictures, which creates and distributes feature-length entertainment around the world. The combined company will also be one of the largest content spenders, with more than $13 billion spent in the last 12 months.

In the short term, any deal may mean little with regard to Star Trek. CBS is still actively developing and producing a number of Star Trek TV shows. Paramount likewise has two scripts in the wings, with the Tarantino project seemingly getting some traction. Once the merger goes through the approval process, and the corporate structures are merged, there could be important changes to the franchise in the medium-to-long term for Star Trek.

CBS—who is the purchasing entity for the merger—is clearly taking Star Trek seriously with their continued expansion of the television franchise. The company has announced a number of additional Star Trek series for CBS All Access, and an animated series for kids on Nickelodeon—which is, of course, part of Viacom. All of this activity has been put under one unit already with the recent CBS announcement of the Star Trek Global Franchise Group, headed up by Alex Kurtzman. Exact details of how Star Trek will be handled going forward are not expected today. However, the re-merger will likely involve Kurtzman’s group taking over the development of Star Trek feature films.

The merger could also involve changes for CBS All Access, which is currently the primary home of Star Trek on TV in the USA. The merger statement from ViacomCBS promises a three-part plan for growth, with the first part to “accelerate direct-to-consumer strategy.”

The merger will be subject to the usual regulatory approvals, but ViacomCBS expect the deal to close by the end of 2019.

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HubcapDave

Sing with me…..

Reunited, and it feels so goooood!

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August 13, 2019 12:05 pm

Urban Turf

as the articles says, nickelodeon, where the new animated show is airing, is also viacom. so yeah it’s all under one roof now, even the show airing on another network. could give them even better control over that series and how and where it airs. airing it on CBS all access is a no-brainer now, i would think right?

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August 13, 2019 1:02 pm

TG47

Especially so given that CBS All Access is going all in on kids programming now. Can’t see why the wouldn’t stream their own production.

There was announcement last week that CBSAA had signed a deal with DHX to stream DHX’s library in the US. It said that the kids programming is targeting retention of their younger subscribers.

DHX (out of Halifax, Canada) has the largest children’s library of television globally. This includes Peanuts, Degrassi and a wide collection of US and international properties they’ve acquired over time. Over 1000 hours worth. CBSAA has ordered additional seasons of some of DHX own productions, including Cloudy with Meatballs.

In Canada, DHX has 3 family/children’s channels, but since they have parted ways with Disney, they haven’t a natural home for US distribution. They’ve penned some deals for specific shows with Nickelodeon, but CBSAA is taking a leaf out of Netflix’s strategy by contracting for the entire library.

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August 13, 2019 1:45 pm

Harry Ballz

Well, THAT oughta do it!

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August 13, 2019 12:05 pm

Danpaine

I too, hope this will result in some visual and plot cohesiveness within the franchise.

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August 13, 2019 12:06 pm

Tiger2

There can at least be crossovers again like we got between the shows and films with TOS and TNG movies! It may be too late with the Kelvin cast if they are done but future movies with new casts opens things up in a big way again.

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August 13, 2019 2:52 pm

Pick Hard

Fans are mistaken in thinking that the films and TV shows couldn’t cross over. That was never the case–it’s all a major misconception on the part of fans who never understood the nature of the split.

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August 13, 2019 6:09 pm

Tiger2

That’s good to know Pick Hard! But I don’t think you can blame people with that assumption since the Kelvin film were treated like they weren’t part of the same franchise at times.

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August 14, 2019 12:47 am

DIGINON

Who treated the Kelvin films like they weren’t part of the same franchise? Some Star Trek fans or the studio? Remember that Paramount brought back Leonard Nimoy as Spock to underline the connection to what came before.

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August 15, 2019 11:57 am

Tiger2

I know, I mean in terms of marketing. Outside of Spock the films felt very separate outside of the rest of the franchise. And I’m not saying it was good or bad, I’m only saying it really felt like it was its own thing and I guess its not hard when it takes place in another universe lol.

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August 15, 2019 8:11 pm

DIGINON

It felt different because it was a big-budget blockbuster. But make no mistake, previous Trek movies had also been marketed as sci-fi action, they just couldn’t compete with the spectacle of the KU movies. The other big difference with the KU movies is that they didn’t have a cast that transitioned from a TV show to the big screen. It was a new cast although they played known characters.

Not entirely correct. Paramount owns the entire film library including the Kelvin movies. They also hold the license to make more movies. CBS owns the brand which also includes any product licensing for anything Trek, including the movies, for which Paramount gets a cut. It’s complicated, but its easier to think of it this way, CBS owns the brand and TV, Paramount owns the movies.

And soon enough, none of this will be important anymore.

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August 13, 2019 6:43 pm

HubcapDave

Four words I hope to never hear again: Bad Robot alternative license!

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August 13, 2019 8:20 pm

A34

Yeah, I don’t see much difference.

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August 13, 2019 7:20 pm

vantheman77

It’s time for Star Trek to reach new heights once more!!

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August 13, 2019 12:08 pm

Spiked Canon

I wonder if CBS All access will get all of Viacom’s library, Paramount etc. It would make it more appealing

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August 13, 2019 12:09 pm

Nachum

According to reports, that’s a big part of what made the merger appealing to the boards.

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August 13, 2019 12:24 pm

Danpaine

…with Disney + about to show up and change the streaming game, they need to make CBS AA relevant.

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August 13, 2019 12:49 pm

A34

I can’t wait until Disney jacks up the price for the service.

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August 13, 2019 9:24 pm

nasty man

Mr Tarantino… engage!

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August 13, 2019 12:11 pm

Pick Hard

Good god, no. I’d rather have someone make Star Trek who actually understands it. From his interviews, it’s clear that he definitely does not.

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August 13, 2019 6:10 pm

PEWDIEPICARD

Yeh I’m not sure I”m on board with him…but you never know.

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August 13, 2019 6:30 pm

A34

Star Trek 2 was made by a guy that didn’t understand it.

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August 13, 2019 9:25 pm

alphantrion

On the contrary, I think this merger means that the Tarantino film will not happen. The reasons for this, in my opinion of course, are that Tarantino would want total independence and therefore wouldn’t want to work under Kurtzman and the ViacomCBS heads might consider Tarantino to be too controversial to direct a Star Trek movie and I don’t think they’d want to have all that press regarding Star Trek.

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August 13, 2019 10:58 pm

PEWDIEPICARD

Makes sense.

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August 14, 2019 6:12 pm

Captain Braxton

Told ya! 😉

The second Trek golden age starts today, folks. Enjoy it 🖖🏻

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August 13, 2019 12:13 pm

Jacek

Awesome! Looking forward to a story where Picard goes back in time to prevent the Hobus supernova, Romulus is saved, and the Kelvin timeline is never created ;)

What about the story in which Sisko, played by Samuel L. Jackson, goes back in time and prevents Tarantino from ever watching Star Trek? :-)

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August 13, 2019 12:43 pm

GarySeven

I would pay top dollar to see that movie!

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August 13, 2019 12:50 pm

Pick Hard

Given his comments in interviews, I’m not convinced Tarantino HAS ever watched Star Trek.

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August 13, 2019 6:11 pm

dennycranium

Yeah, that’s top of mind for executives on a multi billion dollar merger. Nullify almost a billion dollars in revenue from the last 3 movies produced. “Nothing to see here, Trekkies! Move along! It was all a dream! Go Prime!”

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August 13, 2019 12:43 pm

Corinthian7

It will be interesting to see how this news affects the KU. I agree there’s no logic in nullifying a viable revenue stream but it’s not out of the question that a final Kelvin movie might serve to pass the torch back to the Prime Universe with a Yesterday’s Enterprise style story. Alternatively the new organisation might choose to expand the Kelvin universe by having a series/mini set in that continuity or having one of the shows crossover into that timeline.

I’d love to see this as an excuse to do a new Pike/Enterprise movie with Mount, Peck and Romjin, but there’s probably not enough of an audience to justify a big budget film.

Then again, it would be a perfect opening to do a newer low budget version of big screen Trek. Lower risk, higher reward.

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August 13, 2019 4:50 pm

Herb Flynn

Well, the lower-budget TREK worked for STAR TREK 2 and 3…both done on lower-budgets overseen by the TV people – tight quality productions. (Although ST3 did make a little less than ST2 it was enough for the studio to green light ST4…which in the end worked out well for them.)

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August 13, 2019 6:13 pm

Tiger2

That was the 80s though, where studios didn’t care or rely on foreign BO as much. Today it can account for 70% of the revenue depending on movie. Its no way they could or would make such smaller films today, I mean for their bigger brands. They can certainly be lower than the Kelvin movies but they will still be $100+ films.

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August 15, 2019 1:54 am

Nachum

And don’t forget that Simon and Schuster, which publishes Star Trek, is also part of the company.

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August 13, 2019 12:29 pm

c d

Manuals!

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August 14, 2019 8:28 pm

Christopher Cimafranca

It was only a matter of time folks… With Netflix… Disney… and everyone else & their brother having a streaming service… Viacom & CBS had to merge or be left out in the cold…

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August 13, 2019 12:35 pm

Danpaine

Exactly.

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August 13, 2019 1:07 pm

danielcw

Both already have a streaming service, CBS even has 2

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August 13, 2019 11:31 pm

Tiger2

Yes but AA is basically just stuff that is on CBS plus whatever new shows they put on it. There is SO MUCH other content they can have on there but stop them because of all the crazy contract rules. Now this opens up a lot more opportunities and give that site a fighting chance. Its no way its going to become the next Netflix or Disney+ (which showing just how powerful you can be out the gate when you own a third of the Hollywood library ;)) if they can only get 12 movies on that channel and reruns of NCIS. It needs more than just Star Trek to thrive, much more.

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August 15, 2019 1:57 am

Daniel Shock

I hope all good things happen as a result.

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August 13, 2019 12:37 pm

ML31

This is more a win for CBS than it is for Viacom I think. As far as what this means for Trek? Unsure. At worst it doesn’t hurt Trek at all. At best? Who knows.

No, but it does speak to the ‘at worst’ part of it. Paramount has instantly become a drag on CBS earnings, so what is more reasonable to expect is that Paramount is likely to be scrutinized for how it can be made a more efficient profit center. That’ll mean trimming the dead wood, not full speed ahead on marginal Trek projects.

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August 13, 2019 3:30 pm

A34

I wouldn’t be surprised if they sold it off.

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August 13, 2019 10:17 pm

Dave Zanko

I would. The film library alone is invaluable for their streaming efforts. And it does give them the infrastructure needed for future feature length productions. It definitely needs some polishing, but the Mountain, as Paramount has long been nicknamed, is one of the key parts of this deal.

And who else is going to buy it? Disney likely wouldn’t be able to get past even the latest of antitrust concerns. As they shouldn’t have for the Fox deal, as it truly removed a major player from the market, unlike this deal, which merges two companies that were already corporate cousins and have largely complementary portfolios; they aren’t really direct competitors in any one segment. It’s almost like they were set up as such in the 2006 split. Hmmm…

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September 1, 2019 3:03 am

Larry

Surely, the work of Ambassador Spock

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August 13, 2019 1:13 pm

Dan

Best comment so far :-)

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August 14, 2019 12:42 pm

ViacomGuy

Longtime Trek fan; Longtime reader; Longtime Paramount/Viacom employee. The merger is good for both companies but it was more of a “win” for Viacom than CBS. Not by much but it is recognized internally.

Star Trek and MI were part of the reasons for the merger. The success of the MCU and Star Wars franchises was not lost on certain individuals and they saw the same possibility of success with Trek and M:I and other IP. (The success of Discovery and CBS AA in general also helped.)

Of course, no changes will occur until final approval is received but they’ll be working on the plans to have them ready to go.

I’m very optimistic regarding Trek and if things go as planned we could see a true blossoming of the Trek Universe.

Hi ViacomGuy! Would you happen to know what are the current plans for the future of Trek? Is it going to be all, movies and TV, under Kurtzman? Also, is that why we’re seeing so much lobbying for Tarantino Trek lately? Thanks for your insights!

Actually, he said no. What we know is what we know, it’s full speed ahead for CBS AA (it’s good to be Alex), and nothing in the pipe at Paramount (not so good to be JJ). The business pages are all reporting that the focus on the combined organization is the international market and streaming. That’s where the future lies.

This seems like a much better turn of events for CBS then Paramount at the moment. Paramount has been stagnant for a while now, their thin production schedule suggests that the studio has been on capital lockdown for quite a while now while the merger has been negotiated. It’s a bit premature to be thinking the pace is going to pick up, I’d guess CBS will be giving the merged organization the once over, and projects (like Trek movies) that are cash bleeds are going to get a hard second look.

Trek movies are still a money loser. If the last movie was a box office hit we would have had a new movie by now. The merger isn’t going to change that.

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August 13, 2019 7:26 pm

HubcapDave

Correction: Trek movies are profitable at a certain price point.If Pine and Hemsworth had agreed to take a pay cut, they’d be working on Trek right now.

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August 13, 2019 8:25 pm

Holden

Exactly, HupcabDave. It’s strange how people who claim to be dedicated Trek fans keep pointing out how Trek isn’t economically relevant without offering an alternative to their own cynicism.

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August 13, 2019 8:44 pm

A34

I like lots of shows and movies that most people don’t like. It’s not cynicism, it’s just being real.

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August 13, 2019 8:55 pm

Holden

You should consider finding constructive ways to express your optimism.

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August 13, 2019 9:02 pm

A34

The human race is circling the drain. What’s the point now.

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August 13, 2019 9:06 pm

Holden

Yikes. I’ll assume you’re not trolling and ask, seriously, what brings you to Trek?

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August 13, 2019 9:13 pm

A34

I’m a fan of science fiction, I watch it all. I stopped watch Trek during Voyager, but Discovery and the JJ movies got me back to watching Trek.

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August 13, 2019 9:23 pm

Holden

Okay. You enjoy science fiction, broadly speaking. I do too. It can be a wonderfully immersive genre. But what’s unique about Trek in general that appeals to you?

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August 13, 2019 9:31 pm

A34

To me it’s just a TV show. I never bought into that optimistic future jazz.

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August 13, 2019 10:18 pm

Danpaine

I have to agree with that, A34. If anything, seems to me the actual future will be even more shallow, corrupt, financially segregated and dirty than the past and present have been/are. I see nothing which would convince me the world is becoming a better place to live. Alternatively, we’ve effectively killed the planet, biologically. Trek for me has always been about (much needed) escapism, not what I think our future is going to turn out to be.

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August 14, 2019 7:04 am

A34

Stephen Hawking once said that the human race has about 100 years left before we have to leave the planet or we’ll go extinct. I think we have much less time.

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August 14, 2019 9:00 am

Legate Damar

If we just assume that things are going to get worse no matter what we do, then we have no reason to work to make things better, and the future will suck. If we believe that the future can be better than the present, then we can work to make that dream a reality and the future actually can be better. Optimism is important.

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August 14, 2019 12:06 pm

A34

I kinda want to see the world burn though.

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August 14, 2019 2:19 pm

TG47

Aspirational more than escapism.

Both of you (A34 and Danpaine) have just made the case why an optimistic and aspirational franchise is needed.

American productions have enough nihilism…Trek responds to an unfulfilled demand for stories that reach for more.

We shouldn’t forget that Trek was first created when post-Armageddon disaster stories were the norm in Sci-fi.

It’s always been the franchise that has portrayed a future wherein humanity survives to reach beyond that.

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August 14, 2019 12:11 pm

Holden

Great points, TG47. If nothing else, Trek could fill such glaring market niche.

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August 16, 2019 6:36 pm

A34

Why should they agree to a pay cut because Paramount can’t make a profitable movie?

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August 14, 2019 9:03 am

DeanH

Wow! They actually got the deal done this time!! Sounds like good news reuniting the Star Trek movie side with the TV side. I wonder how this will affect the Tarantino movie? Also, maybe this will mean a Pike, Spock, Number One movie sometime down the road?

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August 13, 2019 1:29 pm

alphantrion

I told this above in another thread too, but in my opinion this will be the end of the Tarantino film. Tarantino is the kind of a guy who likes to work as independent as he can and I don’t think he would be willing to work “under” Kurtzman. (A bit like Nick Meyer’s situation with the first season of Discovery) Also, Tarantino being a controversial director in general, I don’t think the CBSViacom bosses might want to court this kind of controversy so early on in their run.

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August 13, 2019 11:04 pm

TG47

I agree alphantrion…I think Tarantino knows or has been told his concept is off-brand.

Not to mention that he has no record of attracting the kind of international revenue Trek needs to be profitable.

His market outside the United States is negligible.

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August 14, 2019 12:05 pm

Tiger2

With all the crazy hype over Tarantino and his possible Star Trek movie, only one of his movies has actually made more than any of the Kelvin movies which was Django Unchained with did more than Beyond and slightly above the 09 movie. In reality though movies his movies makes between $2-300 million average, which is good given most of his budgets are under $100 million but he’s never proved he can make a true blockbuster film, which none of his films have been.

This odd idea Tarantino has this huge global audience that flocks to anything he makes is just not true. He certainly does better than most independent directors but his films still mostly perform on that level and he also has a lot of big name stars that got some of his bigger movies more awareness and would probably did a lot less without them.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood looks like it will fall in the $2-300 million range at most now. And that will really depend on the international market now that it looks like it will do around $120 million tops in America.

I don’t think Paramount is as serious about his movie either. It can still happen but my guess is it will only happen if the budget is really low enough and probably have the script be a bigger appeal if its not already.

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August 15, 2019 2:21 am

Holden

I’ll disagree with your assumptions here, Tiger2. QT has never made a blockbuster film, true (though if you look at Pulp Fiction as one example, post-inflation, its numbers are pretty crazy for a such a small film of that kind). But when has he ever tried to make a “blockbuster”? The fact that his weirdly, intensely idiosyncratic films have *almost* universally crossed 100 million domestically for the last three decades is pretty impressive.

I agree that foreign markets are a different matter. But I’m confident that merging QT’s audience with the Trek brand would definitely net the kind of financial returns that would justify the project (regardless of its actual quality or critical reception).

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August 16, 2019 6:21 pm

Sybok's Other Brother

Spend some of those billions on a remastered DS9.

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August 13, 2019 1:31 pm

Jay

This is due…before releasing DS9 Season 8. After 20 years would like to see Captain Nog. Avery Brooks, please say yes, DS9 fans would like very much to see Sisko coming back from his Sabbatical with the Prophets. Jake deserves to see his father again. :-)

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August 13, 2019 2:13 pm

Legate Damar

DS9 is my favorite Star Trek series, but we don’t need a season 8. The show is over, and it had a perfect ending. It could be cool to see some of the characters show up on other Trek shows, but the DS9 saga is complete.

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August 13, 2019 5:49 pm

'Drew

Perhaps Short Treks is the right format for checking up on some old friends.

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August 14, 2019 6:42 am

Legate Damar

I think an animated Quark vs Odo story set before What You Leave Behind would be perfect for Short Treks.

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August 14, 2019 12:00 pm

A34

Makes sense, since the TNG remaster sold billions and made them a ton of money. Oh wait it didn’t. People just waited and watched it on Netflix.

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August 13, 2019 9:08 pm

'Drew

Now they can make it a CBS AA exclusive and keep the subscription $$ instead of giving them away.

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August 14, 2019 6:43 am

A34

I still don’t think that would make them a profit. The remaster TNG is on Netflix and Amazon Prime and they still considered a failure money wise.

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August 14, 2019 9:51 am

TG47

It’s a complicated calculation. And one that will change now that ViacomCBS is managing the value of the Trek franchise as a whole.

There is a good part of the younger audience that won’t watch the series in standard definition.

Remastering is an investment in extending the life of the library, and the franchise. Without it, future generations won’t be watching DS9, Voyager or Enterprise.

It’s not some simple payback on DVDs and short-term sales of rights to other streamers.

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August 14, 2019 12:02 pm

A34

So no one watches I love Lucy, or The Three Stooges any more?

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August 14, 2019 2:25 pm

ML31

If TNG were made exclusive to CBSAA it would not be an inducement for me to keep the service year round. At all.

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August 15, 2019 7:08 am

A34

That would never happen anyway. CBS has too many streaming deals for Star Trek. It’s on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and god knows what else.

my problem with this is that the only story I want to see them tell is about the romulan war, and that took place before when the finale was set, which I think was like 5 years after season 4. All the actors have aged too much, they’d have to set it way after that, and trip is dead, and it isn’t enterprise without trip.

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August 14, 2019 5:29 am

Legate Damar

I don’t think anybody would really mind if they just ignored These Are the Voyages. Just chalk it up to a historical fiction holonovel or something that Riker was watching.

Besides, even if they’re too old to do the Romulan War, the early days of the Federation could be interesting.

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August 14, 2019 11:59 am

ML31

It’s cheezy but I would let that slide just because of how severely awful TATV was. That said… As much as I would LOVE to see Enterprise return it would only really work, I think, as a one off. All the characters would have gone their separate ways by now. Writers would have to come up with a creditable way for them all to reunite without feeling forced. I honestly wouldn’t mind another series set in a similar time frame however.

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August 15, 2019 7:13 am

A34

Well Discovery simply ignored that Enterprise episode where they explained for no reason why TOS had goofy human looking Klingons. Canon shouldn’t handicap the writers.

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August 15, 2019 11:47 am

ML31

It shouldn’t but on the other side of the coin the writers should be talented enough to work within the framework of what they are presented. Is limiting a writer of a 1950’s spy thriller limiting because they can’t give their guy a cell phone? No. They should learn to work with what they had in the ’50’s.

Not even going to get into the Klingon thing as what you brought up was never a thing for anyone.

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August 15, 2019 2:09 pm

A34

Science fiction should give you the freedom to do anything you want as a writer. Star trek cannon is meaningless.

In first season of TNG the Klingons were full members of the federation until the writers decided that it was a bad idea.

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August 15, 2019 9:50 pm

ML31

It’s meaningless? So you are saying that they can Make Kirk and Andorian. Vulcans are the moral enemies of the Federation. There is no Prime Directive…

What you are saying is if a writer cannot work within the confines of the universe then they aren’t writing a story that is a part of that universe. It’s an entirely new thing with zero actual connections to the Franchise except in title. Fans just won’t accept that. Nor should they. Minuscule minutia is fine to sweep around some much of the time. But all the major elements ought to be adhered to.

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August 16, 2019 7:51 am

Marja

Good news for us, I hope.
But bad news for people who will be laid off … :^(

I doubt it. If anything his job is even more secure. Folks at Paramount, on the other hand…

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August 14, 2019 2:55 pm

danielcw

As of now, there won’t be many lay-offs. The biggest overlap between both companies is the TV studio side, and according to another Deadline article, the intention is to keep both Paramount TV and CBS Studios running on their own for a while.

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August 13, 2019 11:36 pm

TG47

Given that studio space is at a premium, and can always be leased out, I can’t see that being an issue.

Even if they integrate the organizations into one, it doesn’t sound like there would be significant redundancy in staff.

More to a point, the idea is to grow content… which takes people.

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August 14, 2019 11:56 am

Thorny

[ beep ]

“Ms. Redstone? Apple is on Line 1 for you.”

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August 13, 2019 2:46 pm

Tiger2

Wow, great news!

Maybe my dream of Picard getting 7 seasons and a movie is now a reality!! ;D

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August 13, 2019 2:49 pm

Legate Damar

After seven seasons, Patrick Stewart will be pushing 90. I think he said that he only expects this show to go for three seasons.

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August 13, 2019 5:51 pm

PEWDIEPICARD

The show should end with him giving a send off to the Enterprise-F

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August 13, 2019 6:31 pm

ML31

Maybe the show will end with Picard facing a glorious death? Saving humanity or something.

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August 15, 2019 7:14 am

Tiger2

I was mostly joking! Five seasons and a movie then! :) And they said they said it could go longer, 3 seasons is just the minimum. And we know if the show is a huge hit, its not going anywhere, or they will just spin it off.

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August 14, 2019 12:50 am

Legate Damar

I hope it keeps going for as long as Stewart is willing and able to do it, and I’m sure this won’t be the last show set in this era.

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August 14, 2019 11:56 am

Tiger2

Definitely not! The 25th century will probably with us for a long long time now, especially with so many TNG era actors and willing to take up the mantle in future shows.

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August 14, 2019 7:16 pm

A34

Senior citizen Star Trek is not going to bring in new fans.

I really hope the Picard Show is a one off. We need new characters, not a rehash of old ones.

Or like Spock shared recollections about Sybok all the time? Even before you get into the stuff about Discovery being classified, Spock doesn’t talk about his personal life much.

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August 14, 2019 11:55 am

ML31

That whole “classified” excuse is lazy writing at it’s height. That was part of what was wrong with Discovery. They felt they had to explain things they didn’t and didn’t explain things they needed to. They used that sorry ass excuse with the MU in the previous season as well.

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August 15, 2019 7:51 am

A34

They did it because some fans just keep asking the same silly questions over and over. Blame the fans not the writers.

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August 15, 2019 11:53 am

ML31

Wrong. The MU solution was made before anyone ever saw one episode. This is on the writers not being up to the task. Not that fans.

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August 15, 2019 2:10 pm

Tiger2

I still laugh that they classified Burnham herself at the end of season 2 lol. Now that they left the 23rd century the solution to why no one ever mentioned why Spock had a sister is because they were under orders not to basically.

I have given Discovery more leeway this season but its stuff like this that still makes the show feel like a badly written fanfic at times. Their answer to everything that doesn’t fit into canon is just to say its ‘classified’, even with starships disappearing a thousand years into the future.

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August 16, 2019 7:02 am

ML31

The “It’s Classified” out is just lazy. No other way to say it. It is their “out” anytime they do something that doesn’t fit in the time frame they decided to put the show in. There was so much idiocy in Season 2. Not as much as in Season 1 mind you. But still a lot. Which is unfortunate because 2 started off with a lot more promise than 1 did. Not the least of the foolishness was the ship continuing into the time rift AFTER Control had been neutralized. And since the threat was removed, why was the entire ship and personnel “classified” to the point where no one could speak about them? They wanted to explain why Spock never spoke of Burnham but there was no need. Such a thing has already been established to be totally in character! So why bother? That tells me there are people on the staff that do not fully understand the sandbox they are playing in.

The solution of sending Discovery into the future is OK I guess… But that doesn’t solve the problems they had. Not one. The same issues remain no matter where they send that ship.

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August 16, 2019 8:05 am

TechNoir

Curious to know what will become of the Kelvinverse now. Could we see a multiverse crossover of some kind, or was Beyond really the end of it? And if the latter, how will the trilogy be remembered?

Thoughts?

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August 13, 2019 3:25 pm

Just Another Salt Vampire

All we have to go on are media reports to speculate on. It looks like the Kelvin film about Kirk meeting his father is dead. The Tarantino movie supposedly involves the reboot actors, so that would be the next place the Kelvin films go if it works. If the Tarantino project never happens then it may be the end of the Kelvin films, as JJ Abrams and Bad Robot are now out of the picture.

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August 13, 2019 4:07 pm

snoopy

Fire JJ time to say good by!!! Its time for the movies and the whole Franchise Prime Time Line,

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August 13, 2019 3:31 pm

Holden

JJ moved on years ago. That’s nothing new. He’s already moved past Star Wars to plot his DCEU future. Hopefully, his admittedly distinctive type of well-branded mediocrity will eventually catch up with him.

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August 13, 2019 5:07 pm

PEWDIEPICARD

Well said! Not a bone of originality in his body. Hate all of his work. Good luck DCEU.

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August 13, 2019 5:26 pm

Legate Damar

Hopefully he is at least better than Zack Snyder.

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August 13, 2019 5:52 pm

kmart

Zack Snyder gave us an entertaining and well-intended WATCHMEN and a DAWN OF THE DEAD remake I very much enjoyed. That puts him at least one up on Abrams, the only thing he ever directed that I took ANY pleasure from was ep 7 (had no expectations, which may be why I liked it.) I so totally do not get the appeal, he kills even the best ideas, like SUPER-8, which would have been another STAND BY ME in somebody else’s hands.

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August 13, 2019 7:48 pm

Holden

I’m no Zach Snyder apologist, but I do agree that the ‘Dawn of the Dead’ remake is a near perfect example of how to remake an already perfect classic film in a way that doesn’t just feel like an exact rehash of the original.

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August 13, 2019 7:54 pm

Danpaine

Ditto. An excellent remake.

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August 14, 2019 7:07 am

Legate Damar

I meant more in terms of how he handles the DCEU. I’m not saying that Snyder isn’t a good director, but none of his DCEU movies have exactly been masterpieces.

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August 14, 2019 11:54 am

ML31

He only made like 2 1/2 DC movies.

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August 15, 2019 7:55 am

ML31

I’m one of the few that actually liked Man of Steel I think. But then came BvS. Ugh… At that point Warner and DC should have canned him.

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August 15, 2019 7:54 am

PEWDIEPICARD

I also liked MOS. I’m a fan of alien Superman/Kal-El. They need to do a movie with Supes dealing with off-world stuff.

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August 16, 2019 5:50 pm

ML31

I’m not a huge fan of Supes doing off world stuff, myself. But I know it’s quite a common thing and a lot of folks enjoy it.

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August 19, 2019 7:54 am

AJinMoscow

Don’t see our lives changing much as fans because of this; there’s already a boatload of new content in the can and on the way. Now, if they hunker down for a new canon bible, similar to what Disney did with Star Wars, that should cause some rumbling in the deep mom’s basements of fandom, but otherwise, it’ll just get us back to one cohesive timeline for all the content produced.

Yeah, as I mentioned elsewhere, the exuberance is definitely premature at this point. Paramount’s one money making franchise at this point is Mission Impossible, not Star Trek. That’s where I’d expect the studio to focus it’s efforts. For streaming, Trek is going to look a lot more like Discovery then Wrath of Khan moving forward.

When I first saw ST 2009 I loved it. The opening was so emotional. After a couple of viewings and then the 2 sequels that I saw only once…. for me the KU has to end.

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August 13, 2019 4:45 pm

PEWDIEPICARD

Now get rid of the damn alternate license and that ridiculous Discrappery aesthetic Thank goodness that ship is in the year 3000 or whatever. I don’t need to watch it anymore. And finally please some actual Klingons! I mean, I like a nice update as much as anyone but I haven’t seen a real Klingon in over 15 years! All I’ve seen are humanoid bodies with Xenomorphs for heads.

August 13, 2019 5:24 pm

DeanH

Fortunately for you, thanks to CBS there are plenty of other iterations of Star Trek for you to choose from. Picard, Short Treks, Lower Decks, etc. Hopefully, there is one that is to your liking. And if not, there is always The Orville and the fan films. LLAP.

August 13, 2019 5:35 pm

Holden

This is why I continue to be excited about Trek these days. If nothing else, there are plenty of options to explore, guided by many distinctively different voices. Nothing worth complaining about as a Trek fan right now.

August 13, 2019 5:50 pm

PEWDIEPICARD

So excited for Picard but being cautiously optimistic.

August 13, 2019 6:34 pm

Tuskin38

That Alternate Licence is a myth and completely bull, there is no basis in fact for it.

August 13, 2019 5:42 pm

PEWDIEPICARD

Really? I’ve heard so many ppl talk about. I just assumed it was legit.

August 13, 2019 6:34 pm

Legate Damar

The Klingons look fine now that they have hair. Not exactly the same as the TNG era Klingons, but they are at least recognizable as Klingons.

please stop posting this conspiracy theory on this site. This is total BS. Continuing to do so will get you banned.

August 13, 2019 6:44 pm

Brandon

I hope Playmates Toys will come back in the fold and relaunch their 4.5” Star Trek action figure line and playsets and ships. It would really be nice to have a steady flow of new action figure again covering all aspects of the franchise in all time frames and all in scale with one another. There is no reason a Playmates relaunch need interfere with DST, Mego or any other licensee either. Playmates Toys and Star Trek back together for me, would be a dream come true. I miss the times of searching for new waves in the early 90’s. So far that was the best time as a Trek fan!

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August 13, 2019 6:02 pm

alphantrion

The thing is though, Star Trek toys in general have never been as popular as Star Wars toys, so I understand the reluctance to put out so many Trek toys.

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August 13, 2019 11:08 pm

TG47

For me, the problem is that most of the Trek ‘toys’ have been developed and marketed for collectors more than for kids to play with.

Other franchises have done much better at providing both collectibles and toys with ‘play value’.

Perhaps Viacom and Paramount and CBS and whoever all is now in the same bed again can really put a cherry on top of all this, and really go after Alec Peters and put that sucker down and away in the most binding legal manner possible.

Back in the 90s Paramount picked on itty-bitty trekfans who weren’t even profiting, it is time they totally squashed this bloodsucker.

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August 13, 2019 7:44 pm

A34

He’s getting a new office.😃

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August 13, 2019 10:21 pm

kmart

Crowdfunded it, no doubt.

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August 14, 2019 5:08 am

danielcw

Paramount and CBS already worked together against him in the lawsuit. That lawsuit was settled. Until he does something stupid, the Alec Peters chapter is over.

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August 13, 2019 11:48 pm

kmart

He’s still doing stupid and illegal things, my god, there is still a whole legal-oriented website dedicated to those shenanigans. Just the ripoffs on auctions trek-related are unbelievable.

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August 14, 2019 4:07 pm

albatrosity

Another big win for capitalism and our corporate overlords! Anyone else super excited for the consolidation of our media landscape into the hands of a shrinking number of increasingly powerful businessmen? ✋🏼

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August 13, 2019 7:55 pm

A34

Just wait until that stinking Mouse buys them.

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August 13, 2019 8:56 pm

TechNoir

Yeah, Weyland Yutani can’t be far off.

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August 13, 2019 8:58 pm

kmart

Yeah, but W/Y gets bought up by WalMart before Alien REZ happens.

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August 14, 2019 5:07 am

TechNoir

It is funny though, now, the Alien franchise (and Weyland Yutani) being taken over by Disney! Because of course they would.

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August 14, 2019 1:14 pm

alphantrion

Now that you mention it, I cringe at the thought of Alien being in the hands of Disney. What are they gonna do, cross it over with The Little Mermaid?

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August 14, 2019 10:50 pm

TechNoir

Why not? Sebastian already has the legs to play a facehugger!

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August 15, 2019 12:33 am

alphantrion

Don’t give them ideas :))

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August 15, 2019 8:25 am

Anon

Here we go… A Pike movie where a huge disaster aboard the Enterprise requires them to redesign the interior to the classic style, whilst battling smooth-foreheaded Klingons… Matching up the Discovery aesthetic to the original series. Perhaps?

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August 14, 2019 12:02 am

Jay

Klingons. Remember Worf back in time with the Tribbles. Klingon apperance is something no to be discussed with Non-Klingons! Qapla’

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August 14, 2019 2:26 pm

A34

God no.

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August 14, 2019 2:28 pm

PEWDIEPICARD

Just make it look less like a dimly lit Apple store and less xenomorph-headed Klingons and i’ll be happy. Oh and keep Disco in whatever century it’s gone to.

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August 14, 2019 6:26 pm

Tiger2

I know you’re not a Discovery fan but you may like it in the 32nd century. At least it can now just be its own thing.

I think a Pike show would be better for a pre-TOS show.

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August 14, 2019 7:23 pm

albatrosity

Yall obsessed with Pike. Didn’t we do a pre-TOS show??

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August 14, 2019 8:19 pm

ML31

Technically yes… But given the production design it is still difficult to place that show in a pre-TOS era. Unless you are referring to Enterprise. Which DID look like it belonged in the era they set it in.

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August 15, 2019 8:01 am

Tiger2

I’m not obsessed with a Pike show. In fact I was accused by a former member who shall not be named and got on my case because I didn’t want a Pike show bad enough in his eyes lol. Some fans are so weird.

But I’ve always been pretty neutral on it. If they do it, great, if not, no biggie. But my guess is when the time comes to talk about another spin off show in the 23rd century that will now be first on the list lol. But that can still be years away regardless.

And if I had to choose between that and a show going forward, I would choose a show going forward every time!

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August 15, 2019 8:17 pm

Ian

Couldn’t even name it CBSViacom which sounds better? The egos in leadership clearly played brinkmanship there.

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August 14, 2019 6:08 am

'Drew

These ships carry a Romulan invasion force and must be stopped. I repeat …

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August 14, 2019 6:41 am

Lope de Aguirre

Good news for Star Trek and it’s creators and fans! So when will we see the UHDs of Star Trek I-X, the HD Remastered DS9 and the next Star Trek film?

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August 14, 2019 11:13 am

Sam

Go see The Motion Picture in theaters next month. A UHD remastered version of the Director’s Cut was being considered, but they won’t make it if they don’t think there’s enough demand for it.

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August 14, 2019 10:54 pm

Kev-1

I don’t expect many changes if Bad Robot still has contractual relationships with CBS. Fans of Star Trek were spoiled because the same people controlled it from 1966-82, and from then until 91 you had the original actors. Plus Roddenberry running TNG early on. Now it’s just another property. But there are always possibilities.

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August 14, 2019 8:18 pm

ML31

Roddenberry running TNG was clearly not in that show’s best interest. Based on all the things I’ve read about the situation. He was even all but kicked out of the Trek features as well.

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August 15, 2019 8:03 am

A34

They just wanted Roddenberry’s name attached to the show. The mistake was giving him control of the show. The guy was a one hit wonder hack.

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August 15, 2019 11:59 am

ML31

No one “gave him control of the show”. TNG was HIS show to begin with. Things changed over time, however.

I am forced to agree that looking at other things Roddenberry has done, Star Trek was a mistake for him. I’m one of those who feel that fan praise GR way way way too much. Praise him for the concept. But beyond that it was others who made things work.

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August 15, 2019 2:14 pm

A34

I never really cares for him once I learned what he was really like.

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August 15, 2019 9:44 pm

Jonboc

Agreed, ML 31…TNG, though I never liked it, was successful…but Roddenberry has clearly changed, perhaps due to illness, and The spin-off was hardly built from the same blueprint of TOS. TNGvwas nothing like classic Trek, that’s why I never liked it.

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August 16, 2019 6:46 am

Tiger2

Its funny because that’s exactly why I loved it. It wasn’t trying to be TOS and with its massive success it proved it didn’t have to be either. None of them did. The concept of Star Trek alone was enough and why it still thrives.

If it always had to fit in the TOS mold to survive, it probably would’ve died out ages ago.

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August 16, 2019 7:22 am

ML31

Funny how we have very different views of TNG, Tiger. I thought it was pretty obvious it was trying to tap into whatever it was that TOS had to make it work. GR moved it forward 70 years or so to try and separate the shows but they really were the same shows with a few tweaks here and there to account for the forward time frame. I thought it was also pretty obvious that Kirk was split into two characters and they had a Spock like character. It really did look to me like it was trying to recapture the essence of TOS.

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August 16, 2019 8:19 am

ML31

I was always lukewarm towards TNG, Jonboc. I was happy as hell we were getting new Trek and I even liked the idea of all new characters. But it always felt like they were trying way too hard to capture an intangible that TOS had. And from my point of view they failed. There was no way they were going to recreate the camaraderie of the original Trinity. To me, TNG was a nice effort but in the end just couldn’t recreate whatever it was that TOS had to make it special. I liked DS9 a ton more because they were obviously not trying to recreate TOS. They were trying to be their own thing while still in the Star Trek world. They also came up with some characters who weren’t so cardboard. They were actually interesting and over time grew and evolved. Something that never happened with TNG. I appreciate TNG for what it did. It brought Trek back and it enabled other Trek shows to exist. But I still think that (until Discovery) it was the weakest entry of all the Trek spinoffs. I know that is a minority opinion and I live with that.

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August 16, 2019 8:15 am

A34

Star Trek has always been a property.

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August 15, 2019 11:57 am

Kev-1

Yes, but an unusual one. Few if any were brought back to life through fandom as was Star Trek. That kind of love will be hard to duplicate artificially.